The Chicago Bears, looking more improved and feeling more confident, come to town to take on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7. There is one very special, extremely elite, and unique trait that binds these two storied franchises.

You know this timeless, classic debate- what is the most excellent NFL defense of all-time: 1985 Chicago Bears or 2000 Baltimore Ravens? These two legendary, Super Bowl-winning units reside on a plane that is high above every other group of defenders ever to grace the gridiron.

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In terms of the best of the rest, one could make a case for the 2013 Seattle Seahawks, who were very much elite in their own right, but they are still not in this specific discussion.

The 2000 Ravens currently hold the all-time NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game regular season (165), or (10.3 points per game). Meanwhile, the ’85 Bears are right there behind them, having only allowed 198 total points (or an average of 12.4 points per game).

Opponents of the 2000 Ravens averaged 247.9 yards per game and 4.3 yards per play, while the opposition of the ’85 Bears put up 4.4 yards per play and 258.4 yards per game. The ’85 Bears have the upper hand in takeaways, 54-49

The 2000 Ravens featured the likes of Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, Sam Adams, and Tony Siragusa. Ed Reed, one of the best safeties to ever play the game, was not there yet, as he entered the league in 2002. We point it out because it’s a common misperception to think Reed was a part of that unit, given how elite he was.

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As for the ’85 Bears, they were star-studded as well with “The Sackman” Richard Dent, “Mama’s Boy Otis” Wilson, Mike Singletary, Gary Fencik, Dan Hampton, and the recently departed Steve McMichael.

For both franchises, the defensive bar is forever set very high. Whenever the Bears or Ravens are enjoying a season where they’re playing Heavy D (and we don’t mean the music of the late 1990s rapper), the comparisons to these legendary units will always arise.

That is definitely not happening this year, as the over/under for this game will likely be in the high 40s, but at some point in the near future, both of these teams will have an elite-level defensive unit again.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: The 2000 Ravens and 1985 Bears set the bar for NFL defenses